Guilty Drive
by FinalFantasyanime
Summary: SEQUEL TO MORE THAN A MYTH! A mysterious gate, a man named Caius, and Lightning missing once again. Just a day before Lightning and Noctis' wedding, Lightning is attacked and is gone without a trace. Noctis is torn and will seek help from anyone to find her. But is he accepting help from the right person? After exploring the timeline, will he find Lightning or let the world fall?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Guilty Drive**

**Prologue**

"Oh, I can't wait! Just another week! I'm so excited!" Serah bounced up and down on the couch while squealing like a small child.

"It's not that big of a deal, Serah." Lightning sighed at her sister's hullabaloo.

"I'm really happy you feel that way." Noctis nudged Lightning's arm at her response.

Serah agreed, "Yeah, Light! Your wedding is going to be fantastic! Mine was amazing!"

Lightning looked over at Noctis. "Yeah, it really is, I guess." In reality, Lightning was overjoyed Noctis had proposed, but didn't want a wedding. Too much planning, stress, money, and worst of all, dressing up. Noctis didn't mind skipping it either. After all, he had just had one with Stella a few months ago and wasn't in the mood to do it all over again. So they agreed to be wed without such a huge party. Serah, however, was completely appalled that they rejected the idea and practically forced them into the event. She loved hers so much that Lightning just had to have one.

Noctis reached over and held Lightning's hand. "I know, I know, you don't want to have a wedding. Just remember that we'll always be together after that."

Lightning answered, "It's not like we need a huge ceremony to be together though. It's not like we weren't always together before. We could have been mistaken for a married couple when you lived with us a while back."

Serah said, "But it'll be way more fun!"

Noctis saw Lightning was beginning to get annoyed and came to her rescue. "How are you and Snow doing?"

Serah smiled, "We've finally finished unpacking and setting things up at our new apartment!"

Lightning scrutinized, "Took you long enough. You two moved out a month ago."

Serah defended, "Hey, we just –"

A ring came from her pocket, interrupting her sentence. After answering her phone and getting a worried look on her face and muttering a few responses, Serah stood and shrugged, "I've gotta get back. Snow needs me for something."

Lightning guessed, "He broke something, didn't he?"

Serah got a nervous look on her face. "No! He just… wants me to come see something!"

Lightning sighed while Noctis laughed at her hurried response.

"Anyways, I need to be going. Light, if you need any help with any last minute wedding details, talk to me. I'm only across town!"

"Thanks, Serah."

Serah waved and said, "See you, guys," before rushing out the door.

Lightning was about to follow her baby sister when a hand pulled her down onto the couch again. She found herself sitting on Noctis' lap, his arms around her waist, caging her. He rubbed his forehead against hers with his eyes closed. "Shouldn't we make sure she gets back alright?"

Noctis chuckled, "You worry too much, Light. Serah can take care of herself." He kissed her cheek lovingly and cooed, "All you need to do is let me hold you."

Lightning felt her heart flutter at his words. He was really the only person alive who could do such a thing, but she didn't mind at all. Noctis began nipping at her neck in an enraptured manner. Lightning giggled at the feeling. "Noctis stop!" she playfully said. "Noct…stop!"

He ceased for a moment to say, "Why? You're clearly enjoying it." His sing-song tone only made her giggle more. He resumed kissing her neck, uttering a few moans in the mean-time. He soon started kissing higher up her neck. He continued escalating until he met her lips. They both became lost in each other with the growing intensity of their action. Lightning soon forgot about playing hard-to-get and put her arms around his neck, her heart beat steadily increasing. His hands wandered up and down her back, sending chills down Lightning's spine.

When Noctis finally pulled away, he stared deep into Lightning's eyes, both of them panting from the lack of air. He swooped in for another kiss, but to no avail. Lightning snatched up one of the couch pillows and shoved it in his face, freeing herself from his clutches. She stumbled back while Noctis removed the pillow.

"Hey, what was that for?"

Lightning put her hands on her hips. "Don't think you can just go crazy. You can't have your way with me until we're officially married."

Noctis rolled his eyes as Lightning headed for the front door. Sure, he understood why she assumed he would try something. He didn't get why she said he couldn't do anything until their wedding night. They had made love more than once now. The first was the night Noctis had made it back to his home. The second time was the day Noctis proposed to Lightning. Then they did it again a few months ago just for kicks.

Lightning went outside to their front porch. She plopped down on a porch swing with her hands in her lap. She eyed her engagement ring. Silver was wrapped around her finger, a dark blue diamond jutting out slightly from the top. To the left and right of it were two smaller diamonds, each one a light blue. Noctis said he liked that one because it was simple and the colors of the gems matched their eyes.

_ "Just think of it, Claire. I'll get to finally call you my wife soon."_

_ "You're really that excited?"_

_ "Of course I am. Just one question…"_

_ "What?"_

_ "How many kids?"_

_ "Ugh, not that question again. You've asked it over a hundred times now."_

_ "Well?"_

_ "How many do you want, Noct?"_

_ "Three… maybe four."_

Lightning smiled at the memory. He had his heart set on having kids. Lightning didn't mind the idea, but he asked her how many she wanted daily. It was starting to get annoying. Even so, Lightning still looked forward to the rest of her life with Noctis.

"So… that is who Etro has chosen for her knight…" The purple-haired man stood atop a cliff, not far from the woman's home. He stared down at her, glaring at his enemy.

"What was that, Caius?" The young girl tried to follow his gaze.

"It was nothing, Yeul, no need to worry." Caius continued to glower at the former l'Cie. He mumbled, "Now my plan will be disrupted further. How will I continue to pursue the goddess if she gets in the way?"

From below, a man left the condominium. Caius immediately knew who he was. After traveling for so long, there was no mistaking the man who gave him the opportunity to end it for Yeul. He sat down next to the woman, taking her hands into his.

Caius smirked. "That… that is how I will succeed. I already have a plan."

Yeul glanced up at Caius before looking back at the couple. She recognized the two. 'The ones who began the Paradox…'

Caius turned away. "Let's go, Yeul." He lowered his voice so she couldn't hear. "Besides, it's only a matter of time until she's summoned. And I have much work to do until then." It wouldn't be hard to lure the prince into his hands.

**Well, would you look at that! I finally got it out!**

**There you go, the prologue to More Than a Myth's sequel! I had it ready but just never got it out there. **

**Sorry it's short, just wanted it to be simple enough to understand but long enough to catch your attention. How was it?**

**I'll release this again with the first chapter after Taming of the Prince is finished - which is drawing near. Just two more chapters and it's over. So sad… TAT**

**Anyway, thank you for all of you who are sticking with me, even with my slow updates. I promise both of my stories will have an ending! Thank you all so much! :) **


	2. Chapter 2: Beginning of Disaster

**Chapter 1 – Beginning of Disaster**

Warm… and heavenly. Nothing could have bested that moment. That was what she thought as she stirred next to her partner. Lightning buried her head deeper into Noctis' chest, clinging to the fabric of his shirt while taking in his rich scent. A smile escaped her stoic mask from the thought of being next to her fiancé. But the hour was getting late and it was time for her to get to work. Technically, Noctis should have been readying for it as well, but she knew he wouldn't even bother opening an eye before he had five left to get to the base.

Quietly taking his strong arms from her waist, Lightning prepared to leave the bed and begin getting dressed.

But that didn't go as planned.

Suddenly, Lightning was pulled back down to the mattress and into a loving embrace. Although she didn't mind a gesture like that, Lightning knew she had to get going. "Noctis let me go."

"Why?" he mumbled without even trying to wake up.

"Because I have to get to work and so do you."

"…Can't we just wait a while longer?"

Lightning began to push away once more. "No."

Her effort was futile as Noctis only strengthened his hold on her. "Just stay."

"Noctis…!" Lightning squired under his grasp, only bringing an amused chuckle to the man next to her. "Seriously, we need to go!"

"But tonight is special, so we should get the day off."

"Not today, tomorrow."

Noctis shrugged. "Details, details. We're still getting married in two days."

Lightning sighed. "But that doesn't mean we get out of working. Fang will kill us both if we don't show again."

"Again?"

"Remember the last time you kept me from leaving? Last month?"

"Oh… but it was worth it." He finally opened his deep blue eyes to meet hers. "Anything is worth spending time with you."

Lightning felt a blush coming on. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

Noctis smirked. "And shouldn't we get the day off because we both have parties to go to?"

"Just because you have your bachelor party doesn't mean I have somewhere to go. Now come on, we need to get moving and I'm not playing around this time."

And once again, Noctis did not budge. Out of options, Lightning resorted to the one method she knew always made Noctis let his guard down. Putting a sly smile on her face, Lightning began running a hand through his hair and cuddled against his neck. "Fine, I guess we'll stay," she said in a sweet voice. Sleep began to pull Noctis from reality as his black locks were played with, soothing every nerve in his body. He felt Lightning put one of her hands against his chest so she could stroke it with her thumb. She took her other hand from his head and placed alongside the other on his chest as well. Just before he dozed off, Lightning shoved her hands forward, forcing him off the edge of the bed and onto the floor. He stood up and rubbed the back of his head, then looked up at his fiancé, who was now grinning down at him from their bed. "That's what you get for keeping me prisoner."

"Hey, you need to stop doing that!" He loved and hated when she did that to him. The feeling he got when she was so loving was irresistible, but he could never see what she was about to do when he relaxed.

Lightning stood and smoothed out her pajama shorts and tank top. "Then maybe you should listen to me. As she walked out, Noctis saw the opportunity to take revenge. Just before she exited the room, Noctis teleported behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up into the air, twirling her around and she shouted in protest.

He kept turning until he heard her begin to laugh. Then her put her back down on her feet and planted a big kiss on her red lips. When they parted Lightning said, "This doesn't change what I said earlier."

"Alright, alright, I give. I'll get ready."

*~*/*~*/*~*

So he was right; Fang let her go home early for the occasion. Who would have thought?

Lightning entered her home around the afternoon after she got a few things from the market. Walking in, she heard the television on and wondered if Noctis was already back. And right there on the couch he sat. She shook her head and flicked the back of his cranium, receiving a cry of pain from him. "Hey, what was that for?"

"You didn't ditch work at lunch, did you?" She hoped he didn't. She knew it wasn't something he would do, but after seeing him willing to ditch his princely duties from the time he was royalty was enough to have her concerned in this situation.

Noctis rubbed away am invisible tear and said, "It hurts to know you would think so lowly of me." Lightning rolled her eyes. "Fang let me go early. And I'm guessing she let you too?"

She didn't respond.

"I told you we should have stayed in bed this morning."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just help me with these bags."

Noctis leapt from the couch and went to the kitchen with Lightning, where they started emptying bags. Noctis, knowing she deserved something in return for shopping, asked, "Do you want me to make you something to eat?"

Lightning said, "No, but shouldn't you keep your appetite for your bachelor party soon?"

Noctis informed, "If I do they'll probably bribe me with food to get me to drink and I don't want to come home all tipsy and such."

Noctis glanced back at Lightning when he received silence for an answer. Her gaze was directed out the window, focusing intently on something. Noctis looked out and tried to see what she was staring at but found nothing out of the ordinary. "Light?"

"Huh, what?" She hadn't heard the last part. She could have sworn she saw a man up on a cliff. His hair was a lavender color and he was wearing all black; no one she recognized.

"I said they'd get me to drink if I didn't."

Lightning shook off the thought of the mysterious man and countered, "Please, you'd be sleeping on the streets if you came back drunk."

"Surely you don't mean that."

"But I do."

"It's nice to know you care so much about me."

"Only when you're sober."

*~*/*~*/*~*

"Heeeeeey! Look who's here!" The blond shouted. "Noct! Get your ass over here and let's break out the booze!"

Noctis already knew this was a bad idea. "Prompto, I'm not drinking tonight. I don't want a hangover tomorrow."

Gladiolus joked, "Then let's break out the stripper!"

Noctis' face grew red. "The what?"

Ignis intervened, "He's lying."

The room laughed at Noctis' embarrassment. Around the entire room were Prompto, Snow, Sazh, Ignis, Gladiolus, Trinko, and Hope, who looked as uncomfortable as Noctis. Even though he was still young, all of the guys agreed he should come and have fun with everyone else… if they didn't let him touch whatever beer Snow and Prompto had decided to bring without the groom's consent. Noctis' father would have come but he couldn't make it, which Noctis didn't blame him for at all. Although he did promise to make it to the wedding tomorrow.

Noctis growled, "I'd murder you in cold blood if you got a stripper."

Sazh said, "I would too. Old men lose interest in that stuff."

"I think I'd be up for it…" the always-joking Trinko said.

Snow said, "And Serah would kill me if there was a stripper."

Hope spoke up, "Can we just stop talking about it?"

More laughter.

This was what Noctis wanted. Life as a free man, no paparazzi, no appointments, no political meetings. Just him, his friends, his home, and his beautiful wife… soon-to-be wife, that is.

Gladiolus added, "And I think Lightning would be the one to flip out if she walked in on that."

Prompto grinned at Noctis, "Oh, that's why you're so nervous! You don't want Light to walk in and see you being a scandal!"

Ignis intervened, "Fang said she, Serah, and Vanille planned to surprise Lightning with a night out, so they shouldn't be here any time soon."

Prompto headed for the door. "Then let's go find a lovely lady then!"

And the whole room shouted, "NO!"

Even more laughter. Things looked bright.

Noctis then saw a movement from the corner of his eye. He turned his head to the window and locked eyes with a young girl standing on the other side of the street. As soon as Noctis blinked, she was gone. But her image was still in his mind. Long blue-green hair, a white shirt with an abundance of beads on the neck. A purple skirt went down to her mid-thigh, paired with yellow moccasins. He hadn't seen her around town before…

But no worries, right? Now was the time to relax and have fun. The girl was soon forgotten.

*~*/*~*/*~*

"Hey Light!" Serah called, bursting through her sister's door. "We've all come to—"

Vanille followed her in. "Hey, we—"

Fang was the last to come in. "What's the—" The three stared in utter shock. "No way in hell…"

*~*/*~*/*~*

"Pretty Boy! You need—" Fang paused in the doorway she busted through. "What are you guys doing?"

Prompto automatically dropped the six cans full of beer and said, "Nothing, nothing at all." Seeing Fang's expression, he added, "The real question is what are you doing here? This is a man's sanctuary at the moment!"

Fang said, "Yeah, well we—"

"No, no, no!" Prompto interrupted. "It can wait!"

Fang began, "No, it—"

Prompto cut her off again, "No, no, tell us later!"

Fang casually answered, "Fine, just leave a message for Noctis saying I hope he's having a good time, that I'm glad he and Light are all happy and… oh, what was the last part…" Her tone suddenly grew serious, "Oh yeah, how about the fact that his home is trashed and Lightning is gone?!"

And Noctis' world shattered.

*~*/*~*/*~*

As much as he wanted to scream that it couldn't be true, Fang was right. Noctis and the guys rushed to the condo he shared with Lightning and sure enough, the interior was ruined. The furniture was broken, windows shattered and walls scratched and damage. If it wasn't obvious enough, there was a fight while he was gone. And Lightning had to face this enemy alone. He had abandoned her to go mess around with his friends.

Vanille let out a cry as the group searched for whatever clues could lead them to whatever attacked the place. Fang ran to her side and questioned, "What? What's wrong? What did you see?"

With her eyes filled with horror, Vanille pointed under a fallen door in the hallway that led to the study. "That!"

Under the door was a pool of wet blood, still fresh from whatever wound it came from. At the sight of the red hue, Noctis felt his heart skip a beat. He could only pray it wasn't Lightning's blood.

Sazh shook his head. "This isn't right.

Trinko nodded, "Something is way off here and I don't like it one bit."

Hope put on a sad expression and looked over to Noctis. "I guess this means the wedding is off, doesn't it?"

*~*/*~*/*~*

Back at the PLR base, the gang was already thinking of a battle plan. This was two days after the incident at the condo. The wedding was officially cancelled. And Noctis wouldn't rest until he found her.

"This doesn't make any Etro damn sense," exclaimed Snow. "Why is it that Lightning is always the one that goes missing? And why now?"

"Because fates are cruel," Ignis said. "The reason doesn't matter right now. All we need to do is find out why this happened all of a sudden. After these past months of peace after Noctis ran away, why would things begin to stir now?"

"Bro, you just said the reason didn't matter." Prompto rolled his eyes. "But I do agree. Why would Lightning be the target of all of this?" He looked over to Noctis. "Any enemies you've made recently?"

Noctis muttered, "No."

Prompto frowned, knowing he may have asked the wrong person that question. Gladiolus elbowed his friend's chest. "Way to go."

Hope suggested, "Maybe she's back in Noctis' kingdom?"

Trinko said, "No, if she went back there she would have left without a trace, not been attacked before disappearing."

Fang said with a tone of authority, "We'll set aside the thinking for now. What we need to do is search the area thoroughly. If it was just a monster that got her then maybe she's out and about fighting it so no one else gets hurt."

Snow said, "She's fight it past her wedding? Not even Light is that big of a workaholic."

Fang glared at him. "I said all thinking aside! Anyway, we just need to look."

Prompto said, "And what will that do when she could be in danger."

Fang threw up her hands and shouted, "I don't know right now! What do you want me to do? Get down on my hands and knees and beg Etro to send an answer from the sky?"

And then a bang followed.

"Way to go, Fang," Trinko commented as he looked outside.

Serah gasped, "What's that?"

Noctis was already out the door and heading towards whatever had hit the ground not far from the town.

*~*/*~*/*~*

"Things just got twice as weird," Snow said.

"What do you think it is?" Vanille asked.

Sazh jokingly said, "A piece of junk that fell from the sky."

In front of the group and a few other PLR members was a dark brown piece of what looked like rock, although it shimmered and glowed like it was crystal. The impact from its landing created a crater around it, making the scenery that was one beautiful become dead and dry.

"I don't get this crap!" Fang exclaimed. "One minute everything's fine! The next, things are still going fine! And then BOOM! All this stuff happens."

Hope said, "Some of the PLR scientists call all this stuff the Paradox Effect."

All eyes turned on Hope. He explained, "The scientists have notice a difference in monster behavior that is completely different for their nature. Wyverns are becoming friendlier and Flans more fierce than they already are. Even chocobos are becoming more aggressive. The plants have been growing at fast rates as well. Maybe this is just another Paradox."

Fang snorted, "Paradox, smeradox." She put her hands on her hips. "These things don't just happen."

Trinko shrugged. "You never know. I've seen some crazy things in my day."

Fang waved a hand. "This whole thing is stupid." She turned towards the unknown object and extended her arms with her palms facing towards it. "I can't just yell at this and make a behemoth pop up by saying 'come behemoth!'"

Hope intervened, "Fang, it doesn't—"

A behemoth crashed through the trees behind the hunk of garbage and charged at them, growling the entire time. The group ducked and watched as it ran away, almost as if it didn't notice them. Fang stared down at her hands. "No way… I can summon behemoths too!"

Gladiolus, Sazh, and Snow got up and said, "We'll go catch it so it doesn't hurt any of the villagers."

Hope put on a knowing smirk. "Still don't think there's such a thing as a paradox?"

Fang shoved her hands toward Hope. "Come, behemoth!"

Nothing happened. "Huh…"

Trinko said, "Okay, now you're just acting stupid."

"Shut up!" She extended her arms again. "Come, behemoth!" Nothing. She stared down at her palms once again. "Etro Dammit!"

The three who had run off after the behemoth returned. Serah called out, "Back already? That was fast."

Sazh said, "No… it just disappeared."

Snow said, "Yeah, we were chasing it and all of a sudden… poof."

Fang looked around at her friends. "Maybe this Paradox thing is real… damn, this is weird!"

Noctis spoke for the first time. "If that behemoth could have just disappeared for no reason, does that mean the same may have happened to Light?"

Vanille answered, "Maybe. But that would leave two questions unanswered."

Ignis said, "Who attacked her before?"

Prompto added, "And where did she go?"

*~*/*~*/*~*

The waterfall. Where Noctis had given her a new necklace. Where he thought he would part form her permanently. Where he asked her to marry him. This was the place he wanted to go when he needed to think.

His beloved was gone and the only lead they had on what happened to her was some theory their local scientists had come up with. Noctis had lost his wedding and his love so fast and he only wanted to go back to the time he and Lightning for playfully fighting over whether or not they should get up a while ago.

Noctis put a hand in his pocket and brought out the lightning bolt necklace Lightning gave him so long ago. "Light… where did you go…? Please be safe…"

"So you wish to find her?"

Noctis spun around, summoning a sword into one of his hands. On a midsized boulder was a man. He sat there, his right side to Noctis with one foot dangling above the ground and the other one resting on the rock, his knee folded to his chest with his elbow on top of it. His hair was lavender, his eyes purple, and skin a pale tone. Feathers and beads adorned his locks, a headband covering his forehead. His entire attire consisted of black and purple cloth and leather. His boots were also black with white fur at the top hem at his shins. He didn't look at Noctis. His gaze was directed at the scenery before him.

Noctis glared at the man. "Who are you?"

The man turned his attention to the former prince before closing his eyes and standing slowly. "I go by a few names along the timeline, but you may call me Caius."

***~*/*~*/*~***

"**COME, BEHEMOTH!"**

**I came up with that and just had to incorporate it in there somehow. Don't ask me how I thought of it, I must have been high or low on sleep.**

**Well, sorry if it's off to a bit of a quick start, but like it said, this was really sudden, almost as if something just snapped. You'll find out what I mean later.**

**And yes, Lightning saw Caius through her kitchen window and Noctis saw Yeul. **

**So this obviously uses XIII-2 stuff, so be prepared for that! If you haven't played it, I'll probably explain enough for you to understand when Caius tells Noctis about all this stuff in the next chapter. And there shouldn't be many spoilers. I pretty much took XIII-2 and put my own story together with it. I will most definitely stray from the original plot a crap load.**

**As for Trinko, I felt like he needed to be described more. I had this whole backstory that tied in with Barthandelus and Lightning's parents, but ended up cutting it from MTAM. So I'll be covering it in this story to make him seem like a more meaningful OC. If you don't care about him, still read about his past. It's really sad…**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Uneasy Feelings

**Chapter 2 – Uneasy Feelings**

"…But you may call me Caius."

_…What?_ Noctis shook his head. "What do you mean 'along the timeline'?"

Caius looked away once again and put on a slight smirk. "I mean exactly what I said… Your Highness."

Noctis flinched. "Your Highness? Why would you call me something like that?"

Caius turned back to him. "Like I said; I've seen many things time has shown, including you, Noctis."

Noctis took a step back, preparing to fight. "Look, I don't care what you're here for or what you want from me but I suggest you leave before you cause any trouble."

Caius' smirk grew. "I don't ask anything of you. I'm only here to help you find… Lightning, was it?"

The former prince flinched again, this time his movement was visible.

"So you do," Caius nodded. "But as you said, it may be better to take my leave now before trouble is brewed." The tall man turned to leave.

"Wait!" Noctis held out a hand and took a step forward, desperation obvious in his voice.

As Caius' back was facing Noctis, a sly smile crept onto his features as he was sure Noctis would accept his help. "So you are willing to listen?"

"Only if you explain."

Caius took his former position on the boulder he once sat upon and paused to take a breath. "As I said before," he began, "I have seen all times, interacted with multiple generations, and watched as countless tragedies occurred. That is because I am a… different form of human, if one could describe it that way. I've lived for centuries, protecting one called a seeress, one who can see the future through visions. However, these visions have a price, the toll normally being the seeress's life. Of course, they are later reborn, and I am the one who must protect the seeress as the cycle goes on."

"So what does this have to do with me?"

Caius' annoyance was apparent when he responded, "You asked me to explain myself, so I'm starting from the beginning. It would be easier without interruption." He paused to calm himself and focus on his previous thoughts. "This cycle has been continuing ever since the beginning of Pulse, nothing out of the ordinary happening every time. However… this all changed when there was a disruption in the timeline, causing the flow of time to corrupt. This causes what you call the Paradox. Plants growing at rapid rates as if time has sped up around them, not touching anything else, monsters reappearing in areas they long ago inhabited like they are from the past, things of that sort. Surely you've noticed?" He looked at Noctis, who said nothing in return. Caius continued, "Although, there are times when a phenomenon that is completely new and irrelevant to the place it attacks.

"When something bizarre and out of the ordinary strikes, that is when you all finally paid attention to the Paradox. Before you say anything, I am indeed talking about that meteor on the outskirts of you town. But what you see isn't a meteor. No, it is not even close. It is what is called a time gate that was sealed by the harsh travel through the Historia Crux it took on the way."

"Whoa, back up. I'm getting lost." Noctis didn't care if he was interrupting that time.

Caius said, "The Historia Crux is a tunnel-like path that bends and folds to connect the different eras of the timeline. However, due to the disruptions of said timeline, the gates to the Crux have opened. These openings are called time gates, which can only be opened by an artifact."

"Artifact?"

Caius stood and took a few steps towards Noctis. Holding his right palm up, a glimmering light emanated from his hand, then burst to reveal opaque crystals of a dark blue hue. Gold inscriptions were carved into each stone, the words in a language Noctis couldn't depict. "Not all look the same, but they are something that doesn't belong in the time it is in. If you find the right one, you can open a time gate that will take you to a new era… one that could take you to your beloved."

"Why didn't you say so? Where can I find one to open that gate?"

Caius dismissed the artifact with a wave of his hand. "Patience. I don't know where they all are. You'll have to find them for yourself. But I do have the one to that particular gate. I'll give it to you in a moment. I have to warn you first."

Noctis raised a cautious eyebrow. "Warn me of what?"

"Dangers of time travel." Caius' tone became grim. "You've read books and heard stories about it. If you take too many careless steps, you'll only cause the Paradox to strengthen, making more trouble for you and anyone who lives in the past, present, and future. This Lightning will also be greatly damaged as well."

For the umpteenth time that week, Noctis' heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean by that?"

Caius crossed his arms and looked away. "I can't give all the details about it, but your fiancé has been summoned to serve the… Divine One. Don't ask about that part. Anyway, she has to fight in order to fix the time that was bent – meaning if you damage the timeline more, she will only be gone longer."

"That's why I need to find her to help."

Caius said, "And you plan to go alone? Not possible. You'll be dead in no time."

Noctis sighed. "Why should I drag the others into this?"

Caius turned his back to Noctis again. "As I said, you won't survive. I may as well leave now."

"No, no! I'll do whatever you say. Just take me to Lightning."

Caius chuckled quietly. "Anything? You're easily bought." He turned back and threw something at Noctis. "Here."

Noctis caught the object with ease. It was a gold locket, a thin chain connected to the oval piece of metal. On the front was an engraving of a windmill on a hill. The back has was engraved with letters that were unrecognizable, as the locket was rusted and beat up.

"That's your first artifact. I will see you along the timeline if you need me."

Noctis stared at the artifact for a moment. "Is… she really out there? Are you her comrade or something?"

Caius paused. "She and I have… shared a few battles. But that information will come later. Good luck."

Noctis tore his eyes from the artifact. "But how do I –" He froze. Caius was gone. He had left just as quickly as he came. "Caius?" No answer. He whispered, "But why was she attacked before she was summoned?"

*~*/*~*/*~*

"This… is… BEYOND CRAZY!" Snow was throwing his hands in the air with frustration as Fang uncaringly inspected her nails in front of him. "Why is it that this just happens all of a sudden? Huh? And you just conclude that it's some Pulse thing that is supposed to happen and you and Vanille don't know about it because you were asleep for five hundred years? I don't buy that!"

Fang sighed. "Look, there isn't much else of an explanation I can give you."

"Why?"

"Oh, I don't know. I haven't been back here in about five hundred fricking years!" Fang slumped in her office chair with a sigh. "Snow, we're just going to have to figure this out." She knew that wasn't the answer Snow – or anyone for that matter – wanted to hear. But they had no choice at the moment.

"What about Noct?" Snow said. "Where has he been?"

"Prompto said he was heading for the waterfall last night. I guess he went home after that."

"Why hasn't he come to work this morning then?"

"Why are you asking so many question about him?"

Snow shook his head. "It's just… what if something happens to him, too? Or Hope, or Serah, or anyone? I just can't stand the thought of losing another one of us."

Fang felt his pain, although she wouldn't say anything about it. "Look, just relax. I'm sure Noct will come in whenever he feels like he can. He's had it rough and I wouldn't be surprised if he came in here with a long face."

"Fang!"

The door burst open and a black-clad man walked in, face lit up with hope. "Fang, I have to tell you something!"

Snow shrugged. "Or Noct will come in with a good idea and better attitude."

Fang ignored Snow and growled, "You almost gave me a heart attack, bursting in here like that! What's so important?"

"I think I found a lead on Lightning."

Snow grabbed Noctis' shoulder at the speed of light. "How? What did you find out?"

"Get everyone to that hunk of junk that fell from the sky and I'll see if it's even true."

*~*/*~*/*~*

Sazh asked, "So why are we in front of this load of crap again?"

"Well, Noct," Gladiolus said, "what did you find?"

Noctis took out the pendant. "Well…"

Vanille nearly jumped up to Noctis in surprise. "Where did you get that locket?"

Noctis, shaken by the sudden reaction, responded, "I… got it from someone. Why?"

Vanille looked away. "That… belonged to a friend of mine when we lived in Oerba, right Fang? You recognize it, right?"

Fang took a closer look by taking it from Noctis' hand. "Yeah… I do." The look on her face told everyone not to ask about it.

Trinko crossed his arms. "So, are we going to get this moving or what?"

Fang gave the pendent back to Noctis. He studied it for a moment more before saying, "I hope so." In all reality, he had no idea how to make it open the "gate". What was he supposed to do? Guessing on how to do it, Noctis held it up to the rock in front of him.

Just a few seconds later, the pendant began to glow and drifted out of his hands. It floated to the object from the heavens. As soon as it made contact, the rock dispersed, revealing an entirely new diamond in the rough.

"What in the world…?" Serah gasped.

Hope grew wide-eyed. "What is that?"

Noctis whispered to himself, "So he wasn't kidding…" He broke from his thoughts when a sharp pain struck his arm. "Hey, what was that for?"

Fang lowered her fist and demanded, "What the hell is this?!"

Noctis looked around to all his companions and began, "Well, it's a long story. I found out that Lightning was summoned by the goddess to protect… the timeline, I guess. And Hope was right; this meteor was the result of the Paradox Effect. This Paradox brought us this time gate, which can take us to different places throughout the timeline. But the only way to open them is with an artifact, something that doesn't belong to the era it's in. It makes sense since Vanille said it was from Oerba."

Looks of disbelief were all Noctis could see. "I'm serious!"

Ignis asked, "And where did you hear all of this?"

Noctis took a moment to think. "Fang, was there a thing you talked about in Oerba called a seeress?"

Fang gave him a skeptical look. "Yeah, but how did you know?"

"This guy who is a guardian to a seeress told me all of this. He gave me the artifact and said Lightning would be somewhere out there."

Sazh said, "Really? And what was this guy's name?"

"He said… his name was Caius."

Fang jumped. "Caius?"

"Yes."

She looked down. Vanille gave her a knowing look. Fang shook her head. "No, it can't be…"

Serah worriedly said, "Fang? What's wrong?

Fang shook off her expression and answered, "It's nothing, never mind." She looked at her friends. "We shouldn't be out in the open to talk about this. Let's head back to the base."

*~*/*~*/*~*

Snow said, "So… are we going or what?"

Sazh said, "Well, I for one think we have to at least give this time travel mumbo-jumbo a try. It's our only lead on Light and we better take it."

Vanille nodded, "I agree. What other options do we have?"

Prompto said, "Maybe we shouldn't be the ones to decide."

All eyes turned to Noctis. He fingered the lightning bolt necklace that was in his pocket. "I don't know about you guys… but I'm going. I'm going to find her… no matter how long or hard the journey is."

Fang clapped her hands together. "Well, I think we all feel the same way." Smiles adorned everyone's faces.

Ignis spoke up, "But just who is going to go? We can't all go; some of us have to get back to kingdoms or Pulse work."

Trinko scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, he has a point."

"So," Sazh said, "Who're we going to send?"

Ignis said, "I would like to, but I am still the advisor to the kingdom. I can't just walk out unannounced."

Fang scoffed, "Please, I'm going and I'm not letting anything stop me."

Prompto said, "Alright, so far we have Fang and Noct on their way. Who else?"

Sazh sighed, "I need to stay back with Dajh. He doesn't need me steppin' out again."

Vanille nearly shouted, "Fang, I want to go with you."

"No, Vanille," Fang said.

"But Fang, you know why I need to go!"

Fang and Vanille stared at each other for a moment. No one really understood it, but they seemed to be telling each other something without speaking. Fang finally blinked. "Well, fine then. It's Noct, Vanille, and me."

Hope said, "I want to help out. I can't just sit here and wait."

Fang said, "But just because you're here doesn't mean you can't help. You're the best with the PLR computers. If we get into trouble maybe you could find a way to contact us with those. Besides, you're a sharp kid, you can investigate the Paradox more and find out how to protect the town with it."

Hope looked down before nodded. "I'll take care of it."

Prompto looked over at Gladiolus. "One of us needs to stay behind in order to make sure nothing happens back home."

Gladiolus offered, "You go. I'm leader of the castle knights; staying back wouldn't be troublesome."

Prompto looked at him, then at Ignis. "Okay, Noctis, count me in."

Serah nearly shouted, "I'm coming too!"

Snow grabbed her wrist protectively. "Serah, no, you stay here!"

Serah pulled her arm back and looked Snow in the eyes, tears beginning to fill hers. "Snow, Lightning was in trouble before and I didn't do anything to help her. I have to make it up to her! She's saved me too many times to count and this may be the only time I can return the favor!"

Snow looked at Serah with a saddened expression. "Serah…"

Vanille put a hand on Snow's shoulder. "Don't worry, Snow. We'll take good care of her."

Snow hesitantly said, "Alright. I guess I'll have to stay back and watch the base… so make sure she's safe."

Fang began, "So it's settled, we—"

"Not so fast," Trinko interrupted. "If Serah's going, I have to go, too."

Sazh wondered, "Why?"

Trinko paused. "Because… I'll be breaking a promise to an old friend if I don't keep an eye on her and that sister of hers."

Noctis spoke before anyone could say anything. "To be honest, I wouldn't mind have a PSICOM guy on the team."

Trinko smirked. "You'd better be grateful when I save your ass somewhere along the way."

Fang concluded, "So it's Vanille, Trink, Noct, Serah, Prompto, and me, right? No second thoughts?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Sazh said, "There'll be no turning back once you leave. You all sure you're ready for that?"

Prompto put on a smug grin. "Please, we got this in the bag!"

*~*/*~*/*~*

The night sky's blanket of darkness concealed the terrain, only the moon and its neighboring starts shedding light through the clear evening. What weren't clear, however, were the thoughts that filled Noctis' head. His feet dangled off of the edge of the cliff next to the PLR base and his hands fumbling with the lightning bolt necklace he had cherished since he had obtained it. He sighed, his heart feeling heavy and his mind every cloudy.

Noctis shook his head. _None of this really adds up…_ He stared down at the lightning bolt, pondering about whatever events should lead him to find his fiancé. _All of this Paradox stuff, that weird time gate, Lightning missing; it all just doesn't fit together._ The image of his purple-haired "friend" popped into his mind_. And Caius – what does he want? What drives him to help us? And what does he want from us? What does he gain by assisting our search?_ Noctis was about to put the lightning bolt necklace back into his pocket when he froze. He took another long look at it before he placed it around his neck, tucking the charm into his shirt to keep it safe. He sighed. _Light… I just—_

"What are you doing here so late?"

Noctis chuckled. "I should as you the same thing."

"Yeah, well," Trinko said taking a seat next to Noctis on the edge of the great rock, "I was PSICOM, you know. Late nights spent at work aren't anything peculiar to me." Trinko smiled, pulling a leg up to his chest, causing his leather pants to make a shuffling sound. "Lightning always said you would ditch work back at the castle, but now you're spending time right outside the base. Does this puzzle you as well?"

Noctis rolled his eyes. "I was just wandering around and ended up here."

"Why were you wandering around?"

"I was thinking."

"About what?"

"A lot of things."

"Thanks for being specific."

Both men laughed. Noctis countered, "Why don't you tell me why you're here then?"

"Just… reminiscing."

"Reminiscing?"

Trinko nodded. "If you could call it that."

Noctis hesitated before asking, "About what?"

Trinko paused. "It's… it's complicated. You wouldn't understand."

Although bothered by the way Trinko put his reasoning, Noctis didn't say more. After a few moments of silence he wondered, "Does it have to do with why you wanted to come search for Lightning with us so badly?"

Trinko stood with a deep breath. "Yeah, but like I said, it's a long and complicated story. It'd be better if I just explained some other time."

Noctis didn't pry any further. Trinko looked down to Noctis and said, "What about you? You ready to leave tomorrow?"

Noctis looked down at the wedding band he wore on his hand. "If that's what it takes to find her I'd leave right now."

"Good luck getting Fang up without losing a few teeth."

Noctis laughed, "I'm not Snow, who's stupid enough to actually try."

*~*/*~*/*~*

"Alright, let's get this show on the road! We've got lots to do and I don't want to stand around any longer, so let's move!" Fang placed her spear into position while shouting out to the group of friends in front of the time gate.

Prompto foolishly said, "Fang, we can all hear you fine, you don't have to shout like a—OW!" He didn't get to finish the thought as a rough slap to the back of his head was delivered by Fang.

Sazh shook his head. "Today's the day. You all ready?"

Serah, Noctis, Fang, Vanille, Trinko, and Prompto all nodded in agreement. Prompto shouted, "Let's go on this adventure already!"

Noctis rolled his eyes. Prompto had a habit of taking things too lightly.

Snow called over, "You guys better keep Serah out of trouble or I'll come kick all of your asses!"

Trinko yelled back, "You really wanna try me? Remember, I can beat Lightning in a fight."

Snow was silenced after that.

The well-wishing of their friends could be heard as they approached the gate. Noctis pulled out the artifact, causing the gate to glow and flux. The artifact disappeared, signaling it was time to go.

"Hey," Fang asked Noctis. "How did you learn all this again?"

"From a guy."

"And what was this guy's name?"

"Caius, I think."

Fang flinched. She said to herself, "Caius? It can't be…"

"You know him?"

Fang shook her head. "No, it's nothing."

Before anything else was exchanged, the gate pulled them into its opening, bringing the party into its depths. The only thought in Noctis' mind: I'm coming for you, Light.

But then his thoughts were disturbed. A voice he didn't recognize said a single line that made his heat skip.

_It was all your fault. Turn back before you do more damage than you've already done._

_**Please read this important author's note.**_

**I am deeply sorry that I was on such a long hiatus when the story wasn't very far along, but it wasn't planned. About two months ago I got carpal tunnel in both wrists. It was really bad for the first month, but it has improved to the point where I can type my fics. However, it is still painful to type, so updates may come slower. I am terrible sorry.**

**Another reason for my absence is the anniversary of my dad's death (January 26, 2011). A lot of things were happening and with the feelings that came with the event I was not up for writing. I was feeling depressed and knew I shouldn't write the next chapter because it wouldn't turn out the way I wanted. **

**Lastly, I have gotten really sick to the point where I can't even sit up without becoming disoriented. I'm not feeling a lot better, but just enough to where I could finish this chapter. I apologize for editing problems because of this.**

**So there's my lengthy note. Again, I'm very sorry for that it took so long. I will be sure to get the next chapter out soon :) **

**Thanks for reading!**


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